Parry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Parry

What does the name Parry mean?

From the Celtic land of Wales comes the name Parry. The Parry surname was a patronymic, created from the personal name Harry and thus was classified as a baptismal name. The surname featured the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ap," hence the original form of the name was ap-Harry, which was assimilated into the surname over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Parry family

The surname Parry was first found in Carnarvonshire (Welsh: Sir Gaernarfon), a former county in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and today divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy, where they claim descent from Moreiddig o'r dyffryn aur (Moreiddig of the Golden Waterfall) who in turn derive their pedigree from "Rhys Chwith, an esquire of the body to King Edward I., and a descendant of the ancient Lords of Cardigan." 1 Later some of the family were found at Bacton in Herefordshire. "The church contains, in the north side of the chancel, a monument of the Corinthian order, with a curious inscription, to the memory of Mrs. Blanche Parry, of Newcourt, in the parish, and for many years maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth. Mrs. Blanche Parry, in 1589, bequeathed as much land as would produce 140 bushels of wheat and rye, to be divided among the poor of Bacton and the hamlet of Newton." 2

Early History of the Parry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parry research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1600, 1634, 1640, 1644, 1650, 1660, 1672, 1677, 1678, 1682, 1709 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Parry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parry Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Parry have included Parry, Parrey, Parrie and others.

Early Notables of the Parry family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Sir George Parry (1600-1660), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1644

Parry World Ranking

In the United States, the name Parry is the 3,369^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Parry is ranked the 6,116^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Parry is the 536^th popular surname with an estimated 7,233 people with that name. 5 New Zealand ranks Parry as 691^st with 1,033 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Parry as 195^th with 28,918 people. 7

Migration of the Parry family to Ireland

Some of the Parry family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parry migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Parry:

Parry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Parry, aged 27, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Primrose" in 1635 8
Mr. Wm Parry, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Primrose" in 1635 8
William Parry, who settled in Vriginia in 1636
Anne Parry, who settled in Virginia with her husband in 1637
Anne Parry, who landed in Virginia in 1652 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Parry, who landed in Virginia in 1700 9
Bartho Parry, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 9
Thomas Parry, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1729-1733 9
Jean-Pierre Parry, who landed in South Carolina in 1736 9
Edward Parry, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1795 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Parry, aged 54, who landed in New York in 1812 9
Evan Parry, aged 18, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1826 9
David Parry, aged 14, who landed in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 9
Sarah Parry, aged 45, who arrived in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 9
Robert Parry, aged 9, who landed in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Parry Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Parry, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Parry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Parry, aged 35, a blacksmith, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Liverpool, England
Jane Parry, aged 7, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Liverpool, England
Charles Parry, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Liverpool, England
Daniel Parry, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Liverpool, England
Hannah Parry, aged 6 months, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Liverpool, England
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Parry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Parry, British Convict who was convicted in Brecon, Powys, Wales for life, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Lewis Parry, English convict from Salop, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. Robert Parry, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Edward Parry, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Thomas Parry, (b. 1812), aged 18, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales, he died in 1840 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Parry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mary Parry, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Thomas Parry a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Margaret Parry, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Thames" in 1849
Miss Margaret Parry, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Thames" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th November 1849 15
Walter Parry, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jura" in 1861 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parry migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Parry Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Morris Parry, (b. 1605), aged 30, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Parry (post 1700) +

Robert Parry (1949-2018), American investigative journalist, known for his work on the Iran-Contra affair for the Associated Press, awarded the George Polk Award for National Reporting in 1984
Milman Parry (1902-1935), American scholar of epic poetry
Charles Christopher Parry (1823-1890), American botanist and mountaineer
Joseph Parry (1841-1903), Welsh composer and musician
Bryn St Pierre Parry CBE (1956-2023), British cartoonist and co-founder of the charity Help for Heroes in 2007 with his wife Emma to help wounded military veterans access rehabilitative treatment
Sir Eldryd Hugh Owen Parry KCMG OBE (1930-2022), British academic, physician and founder of the Tropical Health and Education Trust
Jack Parry (1931-2022), English footballer who spent 20 seasons with Derby County and set a club record 482 League appearances making 110 goals, the fifth highest League goalscorer
Colin Parry (1941-2020), English professional footballer who played as a central defender
Mrs. Nicola Parry B.E.M., British Associate Director of Nursing and Head of Midwifery for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was appointed the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Midwifery
Natasha Parry (1930-2015), English actress, known for Romeo and Juliet (1968), Midnight Lace (1960) and Windom's Way (1957)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Parry family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. D. Parry, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 19

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. F Parry, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20
Mr. Parry, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 20

HMS Royal Oak

George Joseph Parry (1919-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 21

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Uriah Parry (b. 1858), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 22

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Joseph Parry, English Able-Bodied Seaman from Seacombe, Cheshire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 23
Mr. Frank Parry, English Assistant Deck Steward from Bootle, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 23

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. Charles Parry (b. 1866), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 24
Mr. Hugh Parry (b. 1885), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 24

The Parry Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Heb Dduw heb Ddym, Duw a Dygon
Motto Translation: Without God, without anything, God is enough.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm